In the first of a new series, we give you a sitrep about resettlement in various parts of the UK – starting with ‘North of the Border’!

What does Scotland mean to you? Tartan and whisky? Bagpipes? Ruined castles overlooking glens of purple heather? Postcard-images of wee Highland terriers, smiling Nessie slugs, tins of shortbread, and ranks of diamond-patterned golf jerseys?

That’s the image often promoted by the Scottish tourist industry, but of course there’s much more to 21^st century Scotland that just tartan tat; for example, Aberdeen’s still Europe’s Oil Capital, Dundee is a major world player in the multi-million pound computer games industry, and Edinburgh remains a notable political and financial centre – admittedly somewhat cowed after the events of the last year!

So, before you dismiss “Jockland” as a resettlement destination, here are 40 things you need to know about Scotland.

ECONOMY:

• According to the most recent Lloyds TSB business monitor, fewer Scottish businesses reported a drop in turnover than in the previous quarter, suggesting a possible “relaxation” of the recession north of the border.

• In the year to end September, Scottish GDP rose by +1.4% (below the UK figure of +1.9%); in the third quarter of 2008, however, it fell by -0.8% (more than the UK’s -0.6%).
• In the year to end September 2008, the Scottish service sector grew by +2% (UK: 2.4%); production grew by +0.9% (UK: -0.5%) while construction fell by -3.4% (UK: -0.2%).
• At the close of 2008 there were 282,330 public and private sector “enterprises” (including businesses, not-for-profit agencies and charities) in Scotland, with an overall turnover of £243 billion.
• Excluding the rest of the UK, Scotland’s top export markets are the US, the Netherlands, Germany and France. In recent years there has been significant growth in markets including China, Thailand and Singapore.

• 30% of Scots of working age are managers and executives; 11% are supervisors, 23% are skilled and semi-skilled, 12% are unskilled and 6% are self-employed.
• Scotland remains a strong location for call centres; these employ roughly 40,000 people.
• Tourism supports around 9% of all employment. More than 20 million tourists visit annually, spending almost £5 billion.
• Scotland has 14 universities – many of which are praised for the commercial success arising from their research – and 50-plus further and higher education institutions. More than half of all Scottish school leavers go on to further/higher education or training.
• Scotland is a net exporter of electricity to the rest of the UK, thanks to a combination of coal, oil, gas, hydro and nuclear power generation. The Scottish Government aims to generate 40% of the country’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

JOBS:

• Oil and gas extraction from the North Sea currently supports roughly 40,000 jobs in Aberdeen and Grampian, 70,000 in Scotland and nearly 300,000 across the UK. Numbers are expected to fall slowly in the coming decades.
• Nevertheless, the oil and gas sector is still looking for new recruits as many existing workers are now approaching retirement age, threatening the sector with a significant skills shortage. North Sea main contractors are still involved in long-term maintenance and modifications contracts.
• Scotland is home to roughly one in five of the UK’s biotech companies, employing some 24,000 people.
• Other significant employment sectors: optoelectronics sector (5,000), food and drink industry (55,000), semiconductor manufacturers (5,500), telecommunications (15,000) and electronics (41,600 directly).
• Whisky accounts for 13% of Scotland’s exports, with a value of more than £2 billion a year.
• The mean gross weekly full-time wage in Scotland (2008) was £444.20 (compared with the UK figure of £471.90) – mean wages were highest in Stirling (£544.10), and lowest in Moray (£370.40).
• Major public sector construction projects continue to be planned, including the extension of the M74 motorway near Glasgow and the new road bridge across the Firth of Forth.
• Scotland’s leisure and hospitality sector continues to require people in a wide range of sectors, including distribution, hotels and restaurants.
• About a quarter of Scotland’s landmass is cultivated, mainly cereals including barley, wheat and potatoes (particularly in the East and Scottish Borders), and soft fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and loganberries in Tayside and Angus. Sheep raising dominates the mountainous region in the northwest of Scotland.
• Two of the world’s leading transport operators are based in Scotland: First Group is based in Aberdeen while the Stagecoach HQ is in Perth.

GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY:

• Scotland is a constituent part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the sovereign Parliament of which is in Westminster, London. Since 1999, the majority of government business – apart from the likes of defence, international relations, taxation and broadcasting – have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament sitting in Edinburgh.
• Scotland has its own law and education systems, distinct from those in the rest of the UK.
• There are currently 5,144,200 people living in Scotland, with a population density varying from 3,300 per km² in parts of Glasgow to 8 per km² in the Highlands. So, if you don’t like crowds, head north!
• Average life expectancy in Scotland is currently 74.2 years for men and 79.3 years for women, compared with 77 and 82 years in England.
• Although Scotland’s death rate (+1.1%) is still slightly above the birth rate (+1.07%), the population is currently rising slightly thanks to migration from Eastern Europe and the rest of the UK.
• Scotland is roughly 30,000 miles² in area, and has 2,300 miles of coast. Only 130 of Scotland’s 790 islands are inhabited.
• It’s said that, wherever you are in Scotland, you are never much more than 40 miles from the sea.
• Some 25 million people around the world can claim a Scottish heritage. The Scottish Government’s “Homecoming” campaign during 2009 is designed to attract more of this “Scottish Diaspora” to visit and spend in the “auld country”.
• Less than 2% of Scotland’s population belong to an ethnic minority; half of these were born in the UK, and more than one third have a Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage.
• Approximately 1.3% of the population speaks Gaelic.

LIVING:

• Scotland’s climate tends to be very changeable. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the country  has milder winters and cooler, wetter summers than you’d think, given its latitude –  with average maximums of 6°C (42.8°F) in winter and 18°C (64.4°F) in summer. The west of Scotland is generally warmer and wetter than the east.
• Two thirds of Scots reported a religious faith, all but 2% of which was Christian. Only 12% of the population are currently members of the “official” Protestant, presbyterian Church of Scotland, although 40% of people claim affinity. Islam is the largest non-Christian religion, although there are also significant Jewish, Hindu and Sikh communities in the west.

• The average house price in Scotland is £153,623 (75% of the UK’s £205,372); prices are highest in East Dunbartonshire and Edinburgh, lowest in West Dunbartonshire and Eilean Siar (the Western Isles).
• Scotland offers a host of sport and leisure activities, from football, golf and rugby to mountaineering, skiing and watersports. The Highlands remains a top destination for hunting and shooting pursuits. Scotland’s own Tennis Academy is based at the Gannochy Tennis Centre, University of Stirling – which may help explain the rise of Andy Murray from nearby Dunblane!
• Culicodes impucantus is an unavoidable part of rural life in Scotland; better known as the midge, clouds of these insects love nothing better than biting humans and animals, leaving behind itchy bites. Midges flourish particularly well in areas where there’s a good annual rainfall – so there are plenty in the west of Scotland!
• Scotland is well served by international airports (five in total: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Prestwick and Inverness), motorways and major trunk roads, plus a rail network connecting more than 300 stations across the country and linking with the main east and west coast lines to London.

• Scottish football is dominated by the “Old Firm” of Celtic and Rangers. The rivalry between these two Glasgow teams is legendary.
• Scotland has a strong tradition of live music, ranging from ceilidh bands in local pubs to international acts touring large venues like Glasgow’s SECC. Considering its size, Scotland has produced a large number of internationally popular music acts over the years, including Lulu, Simple Minds, Wet Wet Wet, Annie Lennox and Franz Ferdinand. Scotland’s largest outdoor music festival, T in the Park, is among the most popular in the UK.
• Scotland’s cultural resources include publicly-funded, national ballet and opera companies, national orchestras, museums and galleries. In recent years, a strong tradition of socially aware theatre continued with the international success of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch.
• Authors from and based in Scotland who continue to dominate the best-sellers lists include Ian Rankin, Iain (M) Banks, Alexander McColl Smith, and J K Rowling.